Amended in Assembly March 17, 2016

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 1968

Introduced by Assembly Member Steinorth

February 16, 2016

An act to begin delete amend Section 5541.1 of end delete begin insert add Section 75214.5 to end insert the Public Resources Code, relating to begin delete parks. end delete begin insert greenhouse gases. end insert

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 1968, as amended, Steinorth. begin delete East Bay Regional Park District. end delete begin insert Greenhouse gases: Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program. end insert

begin insert

Existing law requires all moneys, except for fines and penalties, collected by the State Air Resources Board from the auction or sale of allowances as part of a market-based compliance mechanism to be deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and to be available upon appropriation by the Legislature. Existing law continuously appropriates 20% of the annual proceeds of the fund to the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program, administered by the Strategic Growth Council, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through projects that implement land use, housing, transportation, and agricultural land preservation practices to support infill and compact development and that support other related and coordinated public policy objectives.

end insert begin insert

This bill would require 10% of the moneys appropriated for the program to be allocated to certain cities, counties, and cities and counties to support projects for medium-density residential development, as defined. The bill would require 20% of those allocated moneys to be allocated to housing projects affordable to lower income households.

end insert begin delete

Existing law authorizes the East Bay Regional Park District to plan, adopt, lay out, plant, develop, and otherwise improve, extend, control, operate, and maintain vehicular recreational areas and trails for the use and enjoyment of the inhabitants of the district. Existing law prohibits the board of directors of the district from interfering with the control of a vehicular recreational area or trail that is existing, owned, or controlled by a municipality or county in the district, except with the consent of the governing body of the municipality or county, and upon terms as may be mutually agreed upon between the board and the governing body.

end delete begin delete

This bill would make nonsubstantive changes to those provisions.

end delete

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee:  begin delete no end delete begin insert yes end insert . State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

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begin insert SECTION 1. end insert   

end insert

begin insert The end insert begin insert Legislature finds and declares all of the
following: end insert

begin insert

(a) Having a healthy housing market that provides an adequate
supply of homes affordable to Californians at all income levels is
critical to the economic prosperity and quality of life in the state.

end insert begin insert

(b) California’s workforce continues to experience longer
commute times as persons in the workforce seek affordable housing
outside the areas in which they work. If California is unable to
support the construction of affordable housing in these areas,
congestion problems will strain the state’s transportation system
and exacerbate the emissions of greenhouse gases.

end insert begin insert

(c) The lack of sufficient housing impedes economic growth and
development by making it difficult for California employers to
attract and retain employees.

end insert begin insert

(d) Infill housing is expensive to build in California and centers
around high-density high-rise apartment and condominium
buildings. Unfortunately, many cities have enforced building height
limitations that reduce the size and scope of projects. While
subsidies exist for high-density housing, there are little for
medium-density housing of 4 or 5 stories even though the cost per
square foot rises exponentially for each story added to a building
beyond the third story.

end insert begin insert

(e) To keep pace with continuing demand, the state should
identify and establish a permanent ongoing source or sources of
funding dedicated to medium-density housing development with a
set-aside for lower income housing.

end insert

begin insert

begin insert SEC. 2. end insert   

end insert

begin insert Section 75214.5 is added to the end insert begin insert Public Resources Code end insert begin insert ,
to read: end insert

begin insert

begin insert 75214.5. end insert   

(a) For purposes of this section, “medium-density
residential development” means a development of attached housing
that includes a duet, duplex, triplex, fourplex, or a townhouse or
condominium of between three and five stories, with an allowable
density range of between 8 and 15 residential units per gross
developable acre.

(b) (1) Ten percent of the moneys appropriated for the
implementation of the program shall be allocated each fiscal year
to cities, counties, or a city and county with an ordinance
promoting medium-density residential developments to support
projects for medium-density residential developments that meet
the requirements of Section 75211.

(2) Of the moneys allocated pursuant to paragraph (1), at least
20 percent shall be allocated to housing projects affordable to
lower income households, as defined in Section 50079.5 of the
Health and Safety Code.

end insert

begin delete

SECTION 1.  

Section 5541.1 of the Public Resources Code is
amended to read:

5541.1.  

(a) The East Bay Regional Park District may do all
of the following:

(1) Plan, adopt, lay out, plant, develop, and otherwise improve,
extend, control, operate, and maintain vehicular recreational areas
and trails for the use and enjoyment of all of the inhabitants of the
district.

(2) Select, designate, and acquire land, or rights in land, within
or without the district, to be used and appropriated for the purposes
described in paragraph (1).

(3) Cause the vehicular recreational areas and trails described
in paragraph (1) to be opened, altered, widened, extended, graded
or regraded, paved or repaved, planted or replanted, repaired, and
otherwise improved.

(b) The Board of Directors of the East Bay Regional Park
District shall not interfere with the control of a vehicular
recreational area or trail that is existing, owned, or controlled by
a municipality or county in the district, except with the consent of
the governing body of the municipality, or of the county if the
vehicular recreational area or trail is in unincorporated territory,
and upon those terms as may be mutually agreed upon between
the board of directors of the district and the governing body.

end delete